2009 Founders Cup Finals
The 2009 Founders Cup Final determined the winner of the Founders Cup and the champion of the Professional Inline Hockey Association (PIHA) for the 2009 season. As a culmination of the 2009 Founders Cup playoffs, the Western Conference champion Colorado Springs Thunder defeated the Eastern Conference champion Connecticut Blaze, four games to two. CJ Yoder was awarded the Walt Frazier Award as the Most Valuable Player of the playoffs. This was Colorado Springs' first appearance in the Founders Cup Final. Connecticut made its 2nd consecutive appearance in the championship series. This was Colorado Springs' 1st Founders Cup title. Connecticut became the first team to lose in the Cup final in consecutive years. The Cup Final was broadcast live on the internet on Justin.tv for the first time in the league's history. Paths to the Final The Colorado Springs Thunder entered the Final after winning the Best Overall Record Trophy as the team that had the best record during the regular season. Led by stars CJ Yoder, Brian Yingling, and Mike Ciolli, Colorado Springs scored 42 goals in the first three round of the playoffs. The Thunder swept division rival Parker Prowlers in the Rocky Mountain Division Semifinals, in two games. The team swept the Denver Blizzard in the Rocky Mountain Division Final round, and defeated the St. Louis Cobras in four games to win their first Western Conference Championship Trophy in franchise history. The Connecticut Blaze entered the championship series after earning the third and final berth in the Northeast Division. The team was led by John Pinheiro, who finished the regular season third in the league in scoring. The Blaze swept the New Jersey Grizzlies in the Northeast Division Semifinals. In the Northeast Division Finals, the Blaze defeated division champion the Suffolk Sting, in three games. The team won the Eastern Conference Championship Trophy by sweeping the Harrisburg Lunatics, in Harrisburg's home rink, in three games. The series The 2009 Founder Cup Final marked the first time that the Colorado Springs Thunder and the Connecticut Blaze have ever faced off. ;Game one summary *'First period:' **Scoring: (1) Colorado Springs: Mike Ciolli (CJ Yoder) 7:30; (2) CJ Yoder (Brian Yingling) 8:20; (3) CJ Yoder (Eric Bogenrief) PPG 9:24 **Penalties: John Pinheiro, Connecticut (Roughing) 5:40; Adam Goulet, Connecticut (Hooking) 9:00 *'Second period:' **Scoring: (4) Colorado Springs: Eric Bogenrief (Brian Yingling) PPG 1:08; (5) Matt Pederson (Shayne Hayden) 2:05; (1) Connecticut: John Pinheiro (Eric Sarao) 7:24 **Penalties: Jeff Goulet, Connecticut (Hooking) 0:30; Mike Ciolli, Colorado Springs (Tripping) 2:00; Brian Yingling, Colorado Springs (Roughing) 7:00 *'Goalie Statistics:' **Colorado Springs: Dan Lamb – 9 saves / 10 shots **Connecticut: Luke Brind'Amour – 15 saves / 20 shots *'Shots by Period:' : Rosters Years indicated in boldface under the "Finals appearance" column signify that the player won the Founders Cup in the given year. Connecticut Blaze Colorado Springs Thunder See also *2009 PIHA season *2009 Founders Cup playoffs *2009 Colorado Springs Thunder season *2009 Connecticut Blaze season Founders Cup Finals Category:Colorado Springs Thunder Category:Connecticut Blaze